Echoes of Freedom: Naga Nationalism, Self-Determination, and the Idea of Territorial Integrity

Right to Self-determination means the right to determine one’s own status on an international level and maybe based on various factors such as political, social, economic, ethnic and many more. It is believed that this right is based on principles of equal rights and is a community-based right, i.e., it is provided to a community or a group of people. The UN Charter has recognized this as a right and in the present times, we see that Right to Self-determination has become a part of the Customary International Law. With this, we also see the rise of many cases where there is a conflict within the States, one of such conflict in the present times is Naga Nationalism – the Right to Self-determination of the Nagas. This paper aims to analyze the scope of both Right to Self-determination and the Principle of Territorial Integrity while also discussing as to who are the Nagas and their movement for Self-determination.